All alone in the big city ... Sunday, January 24 to 28

Well, it’s not that big. Under two million. Just big enough to give me plenty to see and do for a few days while Dane visits Tanya in Adelaide. Brisbane, better known by locals as Brissie or Brisvegas (Aussie’s have a shortened version of almost every word I’ve discovered) curves around a gorgeous river and is about 20km west of the coastline. Here’s where the Gold Coast stops and cosmopolitan urbanity begins.
First on the list is actually getting into the city and finding my hostel after I’ve dropped Dane at the airport. It should have been relatively easy- it’s on a main street of a main artery into the city but it’s not. Construction and poorly marked detours hinder my progress and the 20-minute drive takes me more than an hour. Negotiating driving on the wrong side of the road is bad enough but throw in a strange city and no one to read the map for you and it could be catastrophic. Luckily for me (and fellow Brissies) it’s early Sunday morning.
As I set out on foot to explore the city I relish in the old familiar feeling returning to me. It’s the feeling of anxious and happy anticipation I get whenever I’m in a new city, particularly one that I’ve heard good things about. The thrill for me lies in walking down unknown streets and seeing, listening, smelling, touching and to a point, tasting all that the city has to offer. Brisbane did not disappoint me.
I filled the next four days with tours of the art galleries, historic buildings and walks through the South Bank Parklands (which even have their own man-made beach and pool!) street markets and Botanical Gardens. I sample an array of the ethnic cuisines on offer and try out a few drop-in yoga classes.
GoMa, or the Gallery of Modern Art, was by far the best I’ve been to. While the contemporary art gallery in Sydney confused me, GoMa inspired me. The sixth annual Asia Pacific triennial exhibition was on and it was absolutely amazing. Works from all over the Asia Pacific region were on display, including a group from North Korea- a first for Australia. The North Korean artists brought in huge murals that extolled the government, teamwork and workers in factories.
Some of my favourites included a Chinese wooden house that had been rescued and rebuilt after the Mekong River flooded thanks to human intervention. A Japanese artist showcased how we are coming to view things in pixels in the digital age and used a stuffed elk (which he bought on an Internet auction) and covered it with various sizes and shapes of glass balls which magnified certain portions of the majestic animal.
My hostel (backpackers they call it down under) is situated in the heart of the west end, just on the other side of the river from the CBD (central business district). It’s bohemian over here; everyone sells organic this and organic that and the smell of patchouli wafts around street corners. One day for lunch I tried the vegetarian buffet up the street and my plate is piled high with delicious curries and the like, none of which I can remember the names for.
One day for lunch, I meet up with two guys from the hostel and we share a few plates from a Chinese dining house that looks exactly like the dining rooms in China. Dan is from Ontario and Ollie is from Finland and plays in a death metal band. Both are interesting and have some great perspectives on the differences found in Australia from our homes but I’m really a loner at heart and after lunch go my own way.
Australia Day fell on Tuesday and celebrations were planned throughout the city, including a street dance party that began at 11 am at one of the bars near downtown. I headed out at night to watch the fireworks and ended up meeting a great couple who had met eight months earlier in a small outback town. The two fell for each other and ended up travelling together ever since. Jillian is from Taiwan but had lived in Calgary for several years. Chris is from Turkey but became an Australian citizen five years ago thanks to his stepmother. Both had great, mixed accents and both were equally humorous and passionate. Chris took us to his favourite Turkish restaurant- one of the only ones in town worth eating at in his opinion and proceeded to order a feast of traditional Turkish food. They both told me about their homes and cultures and we talked well into the night. I learned the techniques in preparing meat (helal) for Muslims properly and learned why Taiwanese have such bad sex (they are too obsessed with work and food).
I also spent my fair share of time hitting the summer sales at the Queen Street Mall, a famous Brissie shopping district. I figured I’d earned it after sleeping in the car for the last three weeks and all the money I’d saved!
And before I knew it, Thursday morning had come and Dane was waiting downstairs in the backpackers after a sleepless night with seven other noisy, messy dorm-mates. I was glad to see him and I took him for an abridged tour of the city. We hopped on one of the sleek City Cat ferries and for $6 rode it for an hour or two up and down the city’s main river, gawking at gorgeous houses and marvelling at the huge bridges.